The present invention pertains to processes for preparing documents and pertains particularly to a template-driven process system.
The Internet started as a cooperative research effort of the United States Federal Government known as the Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPAnet). The ARPAnet tied universities and research and development organizations to the U.S. military establishment. More recently, the Internet has extended its use commercially and internationally. It is the world's largest computer network.
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address is an Internet address. A URL address consists of a string expression that designates a resource (referred to herein as a URL page) on the Internet. For example the resource is a particular file on a computer connected to the Internet.
Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator browser available from Netscape, and Internet Explorer browser available from Microsoft Corporation use URL addresses to access resources (URL pages) on the Internet. The World Wide Web (Web) allows users to navigate Internet resources intuitively, without using internet protocol (IP) addresses or other special technical knowledge. The Web is made up of interconnected web pages, or web documents stored on web servers. These pages are accessed with the use of a web browser.
The Web uses a transfer method known as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). One format for information transfer is to create documents using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML pages are made up of standard text as well as formatting codes that indicate how the page should be displayed. A web browser reads these codes in order to display the page.
Each Web page may contain graphics, video and audio information in addition to text. Hidden behind certain text, pictures or sounds are connections, known as hypertext links (links), to other pages within the same web server or on other computers within the Internet. Each link is directed to a web page by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A user may also specify a known URL by writing it directly into the command line of a web browser.
The Web is a request-based environment. A user makes a request in the form of an HTTP request that is routed to the appropriate web server, which responds with the appropriate HTML content.
Automating complex processes on the World Wide Web is often accomplished by building a one-time collection of scripts that produce the HTML forms necessary to solve a specific problem. For example, a process can be automated by writing a custom software solution, often in Perl or in Java, designed to solve the specific problem at hand. Such custom software solutions are difficult to maintain, difficult to upgrade, and difficult to integrate with other knowledge management solutions. Rapidly changing processes are difficult to keep up with if the software is not sufficiently flexible to allow for change, and is nearly impossible if the original programmer leaves. A complete code rewrite is often necessary to solve different but related problems.
Alternatively, a proprietary environment, such as Lotus Notes, can be chosen to automate a complex paper process. Typically, this is done by hiring and/or training people to write custom database applications in the proprietary environment. One disadvantage of using such a proprietary environment is that a proprietary client must be installed and maintained by users. Another major disadvantage is the continual upgrading that must occur to match vendor upgrades, often requiring software to be rewritten with major upgrades. Reliance on an outside vendor makes generating custom solutions difficult, and if the proprietary environment changes or disappears, this can make the custom solution obsolete.